The Idiot: A Novel in Four Parts

I love Dostoyevsky. I studied most of his books at the university. So the two stars are not for Dostoevsky, I just want to be clear on this. The two stars are for the poor translation of Eva Martin. It's so bad I did not even finish the book. Strange sentences, poorly constructed, unsophisticated language - at least in my opinion. Will try again with a different digital translation.

If you love Russian Literature or have a passion for Dostoevsky, then this is a must. If not, not so much. The story is narrated and uneven. Characterization is excellent, but characters whom you thought might be central to the story, often become side-lined. Some of the scenes are ponderous and at first you might want to give up, but the personalities and story tighten and grow on you. Some scenes are riveting. Particularly interesting is Dostoevsky's use if his own experience of being condemned to death and then not being executed. However, this is superfluous to the story.. As a commentary on Russian society of that, and insight into Dostoevsky's mind, it is definitely worthwhile.

I am a big fan of Russian Literature, and Dostoevsky is my favorite author. While most favor Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, another choice should be The Idiot. Along with Demons, Dostoevsky mastered his craft in these four books. I especially loved the ending of The Idiot...heartbreaking and profound.

Glancing over the reviews, seems my early fairly negative take on "The Idiot" was not without similar sentiment.
The first quarter of the book requires becoming acquainted with the characters, and the second quarter flattered neither the characters, nor Dostoevsky's treatment of them.
Just after half-way through the book, about the time Dostoevsky had a firmer idea, himself, of what the characters were all about, this novel came alive and became an exciting read.
I'm not sure I have ever encountered people whom I am curious over and repulsed by in equal measures.
These opportunistic wishy-washy souls are us.

Nearing the end of the tale, I have ordered, "The Adolescent." Apparently, I just don't want to put-down, quite yet, this Russian brand of soap-opera.

Dostoevsky is the master story-teller with an abundance of characters and innumerable twists and turns of plot. In this work, the reader might wonder whether the two women in the Prince's life were more idiotic than he was. The work does, however, provide a memorable critique of the materialistic nature of society then, which isn't much different from present-day society.

I enjoyed the book but the difficulty was with the Russian names first and last and surnames and whatnot that were difficult to follow. Its primarily about a prince (the idiot) getting involved in a marriage.

I'm primarily evaluating the Kindle product, not the book itself. The listing misidentifies the translators--a shame, because I was looking for the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation and only found this by chance.

So, that's a problem I'm hoping they will correct (I was advised by customer service to convey this issue via feedback.)

Other than that, the book (like so many Kindle books) is very expensive--esp. as it doesn't have X-ray or a working TOC.

Re the quality of the book itself: I love these translators. And it is, of course, Dostoevsky. 'Nuff said.